1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multi-function truck which can transport a cargo and also pump up liquid substance into a liquid collector loaded on its load-carrying platform to transport and supply it to a destination, and particularly relates to a multi-function truck which can automatically stop the use of an AC power supply if a load current exceeds a specified value due to any cause while a draw pump is in operation, thereby preventing any trouble from being made to the side of a lender providing the AC power supply.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, there is being established a recycling system that cooking oil waste discharged from enterprises, schools, shops, hospitals and others is accumulated and kept in an oil container or the like, the accumulated oil waste is collected by waste collecting companies or waste collectors around such sites and is subjected to settling processing and heating processing to adjust the ingredients, and the processed oil is delivered to waste recycling companies or engineers.
Generally, the aforesaid oil waste collecting companies or oil waste collectors go by truck to a school, for example, where oil waste is accumulated in an oil container The oil container containing the accumulated oil waste is held by several people to transfer the oil waste into an oil container loaded on the truck, and then the transferred oil waste is carried back by the truck. Therefore, there are disadvantages that the collecting operation involves lots of labor and time, besides, even if the oil waste accumulated in the oil container has settled in a natural condition to separate into a supernatant fluid and a sediment, they are mixed again transferring the oil waste from its accumulated oil container into another oil container.
To solve the aforesaid problems, the inventor has proposed a multi-function truck, which has a load-carrying platform for carrying load and a pump having a motor driven by electric power from an AC power supply and equipped in a space below the load-carrying platform, and has on the load-carrying platform a liquid collector, a hose having the length enough to connect one pipe-end of a suction or a delivery of the pump to the liquid collector, and a hose having the length enough to connect the other pipe-end of the pump to a on-site liquid container placed at a collection site containing the accumulated liquid, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-166929.
The multi-function truck according to the aforesaid proposal has accomplished to reduce working time required for the collection and transportation of oil waste and has also achieved high efficiency to separately collect a supernatant fluid and a sediment. Besides, the load-carrying platform itself can be used for carrying load in addition to the aforesaid function, so that this truck has an advantage that it can also serve as a water supply truck while carrying relief supplies.
On the other hand, the aforesaid multi-function truck is equipped with the pump with the motor driven by electric power from an AC power supply and uses the AC power supply at a collection site (e.g., a school, a restaurant, etc.), where a collected liquid is accumulated, by connecting a plug of the motor into an outlet of the AC power supply of the collection site. Therefore, there is a possibility of causing an accident such as a power failure due to the interception of an electric circuit by a switch when a load current from the AC power supply of the lender""s side exceeds a specified value while the pump is in operation.
The truck may not be always but often responsible for the interception of the electric circuit by the switch when the load current of the AC power supply of the lender""s side exceeds the specified value because the truck is exposed to wind and rain while it is running and easily suffers from a damage in its electrical system. Therefore, when a collector drives the aforesaid truck to collect oil waste to a collection site, the collector must be very careful for not causing any trouble when the plug is connected to an outlet to use the AC power supply of the collection site or while the pump is in operation because the switch of the AC power supply of the lender""s side might be activated to intercept the electric circuit.
The present invention is achieved to remedy the aforesaid problems. Another object of the present invention is to provide a multi-function truck which can prevent an accident such as a power failure caused by a switch intercepting an electric circuit at a collection site (e.g., a school, a restaurant, etc.) where a collected liquid is accumulated because a load current of an AC power supply of the lender""s side exceeds a specified value while the pump is in operation.
To achieve the above-mentioned objects, the present invention provides a multi-function truck which has a load-carrying platform for carrying load and is equipped with a pump having a motor driven by electric power from an AC power supply and mounted in a space below the load-carrying platform, has a liquid collector loaded on the load-carrying platform and also has on the load-carrying platform a hose having the length enough to connect one pipe-end of a suction or a delivery of the pump to the liquid collector and a hose having the length enough to connect the other pipe-end of the pump to a on-site liquid container placed at a collection site containing a collected liquid, wherein a switch is disposed between a plug connected to the AC power supply and the motor, and if a load current exceeds a specified value due to a cause on the side of the truck, the electric current of the AC power supply of the lender""s side automatically intercepted by the side of the truck.
A characteristic of the present invention is to change the suction and the delivery of the pump, so that the oil waste collected in the container on the load-carrying platform can be discharged by the same pump.
Another characteristic of the present invention is to extend the pipe-ends of both the suction and the delivery of the pump up to the above-mentioned load-carrying platform through the hoses so that the connecting hoses can be connected on the load-carrying platform, and workability can be improved.
A further characteristic of the present invention is to mount a generator in a space below the load-carrying platform, and the motor is designed to be driven by electric power from the generator.
A further characteristic of the present invention is to drive the motor provided with the pump selecting the electric power from the AC power supply or the generator mounted in the space below the load-carrying platform, and the generator can be selectively used immediately at a site where no AC power supply is available.